Box-press.



A. R. STEVENS.

' BOX PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.19, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented May 5, 1914.

INVENTOR 6/6226" ATTORNEYS WITNESSES 3&2) iz/ A. R. STEVENS,

BOX PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 19, 1913.

1,095,940. Patented May 5,1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v WITNESSES ATTORNEYS A. R. STEVENS.

BOX PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.19, 1913.

Patented May 5, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET s.

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INVENTOR izggzwizw' f 556/9726 ATTORNEYS VIII/ 14 WITNESSES I w uy spective view of my improved box press unrrnn STATES PATENT onnicn. I

AUGUSTUS RENTZ STEVENS, 0F TAMPA, FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF '.I.O

' J. S. LONG.

nox -rnnss.

Application filed August 19, 1913. Serial No. 785,547.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 19 14.

and State of Florida, have made certain new:

and useful Improvements in Box-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to box presses utilized to press and hold the cover on a fruit box and the like during the time it is being nailed and strapped, and the object of my invention is to provide a simple and tain novel features of construction, arrangement and operation to be hereinafter particularly referred to and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a perillustrating its practical application. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. 4: is a central vertical transverse section looking therethrough. Fig. 5 is a front elevation. Fig. 6 is a detail transverse section taken through one of the vertically movable oscillatory shaft-s and its tubular guide substantially on line 66 of Fig.- 5. Fig. 7 is a detail vertical section through the same parts. 'Fi'g;"8"'is a "det ail=iprspective view of one of the. bracket connections'of the tubular supporting guides.

Referring now. to these figures, my improved box press consists of a substantially rectangular frame A upon the upper forward portion of which is supported the box receiving table B,*the rear si e uprights A of the frame being extended above the sur-.

face ofthe table B and at the rear thereof, and having brackets 0 secured thereto and to which are rigidly connected upright tubular supporting guides 0 thesetubular sup porting guides being provided with vertically extending slots 0 intermediate their ends, and the upper portion 0 of which slots are gradually curved inwardly for substantially a quarter turn.

Mounted in the forward portion of the frame A are a pair of upright parallel beams A in the space between which works a foot lever Dhaving a foot piece at at its forward end, and havin its rear end hinged at d between rearwar ly projecting parallel brackets. D secured to and extending At a point intermediate rearwardly from the frame. Thus, the foot lever D is adapted for vertical swinging movement between the beams A and upon its pivot d and this beam may be locked in any desired adjustment by the means to be now described. Depending between the beams A and hingedly connected at its upper end to the said beams, is a brake bar E, the lower free end of which extends downwardly through a conformable transverse fixed'set screw 0? threaded through an upstanding portion of the foot piece (1.

; Mounted on this foot piece forwardly of the slot in the foot lever D, and in engagement with the rear edge of which is an adjustable inexpensive apparatus which will be durable. and efiective in use and which embodies cerbar E is a pivoted trip d through the rear end of which is threaded a set-screw d adapted for engagement with the forward edge of the brake bar E and arranged in a plane above that of the engaglng set screw W, as may be clearly seen by reference to Fig. 4;.

A U-shaped connectingmember F has a swiveled connection at its lower end to the foot 'lever D at a point intermediate the ends o-f the latter and has a similar connec-. tion at its upper end to an eye bolt 9 intermediate the ends of a horizontal equalizing bar G this bar extending longitudinally within the frame A at a point immediately in front of the rear uprights A. Each endof the equalizing .bar G is" provided with an inverted U-strap 9 through whlch a bolt h at :the lower end of the respective presser shaft H is connected, thus providing for a swiveled connection of the presser shaft and at the same time providing for equal transmission of movement from the foot lever D bar.

Each of the presser shafts H extends up- .to the presser shafts at 'opposite ends of the which is adjustably secured the respective I presser arm I, this arm being in the form of a substantially flat blade, as best. shown.

in Figs. 1 and 2 in order to efiect'ually press and hold a box top in place' I its ends, each of the shafts H is provided with a guide pin b extending .into 'the guide slot 0' of its respective supporting guide .so that upon vertical movement of the presser *shaft'to re- 1-1 lease the" box, the guide pins working into the upper curved end of the guide slots will cause rotative movement of the shafts through a quarter turn in order to swing the presser blades I inwardly and rearwardly to longitudinal coextensive positions, it being noted that in these positions, as shown the ends of the equalizing bar G. Thus it will be noted that the normal position of the presser blades I will be as shown in Fig. 3, although this may of course be controlled,

where desired, by means of'the stop mechanism including the set screws (1 and a? in engagement with the brake bar E.

With the parts in their normal position, a box, for instance a fruit box and the like, such as indicated at L in Fig. 1, is placed on the table B with its open end uppermost and its top L, is placed thereon. The foot lever D is then pressed down by the operator, who, at the same time, rocks the trip d to release its set screw d from the brake bar E. During lowering movement of the presser shafts H, they are given a quarter turn in order to bring the presser blades I to transverse forwardly ro ecting positions, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and in these positions they are-lowered into ongagement with the box top in order to press and hold the same downwardly and in proper position, while it is being nailed and strapped. During this operation, the operator may continue to hold the foot lever D in lowered position, but it is preferable, and almost universal in practice that the foot lever be released, allowing the trip 01 to rock by gravity until its set screw d engages the brake bar E and cooperates with the set screw (Z2 to effect a frictional lock and hold the foot lever inposition. When the box lid has been nailed and strapped in place, it is apparent that the parts will be returned to normal position, when the stop mechanism is released, through the action of the retractile spring K.

It is clear that due to the rearward movement of the presser blades or arms during the vertical movement of their shafts, the nailed and strapped boxes may be more readily removed from the press and attention is further called to the equalizing bar'- G which transmits equal movement to the presser shafts H under normal condition, and which provides for a greater movement of one of the shafts when necessary through the-swiveled connections which the bar has with both the foot lever and the presser shafts themselves.

Attention is further called to the fact that through the simple frictional stop mechanism, before described, the operator is in a position to effectually control the several movements at all times.

I claim: I

1. In a press of the character described, the combination of a substantially rectangular frame, a table supported upon the upper forward portion of the frame, said frame including rear uprights extended above the table and at the rear thereof, upright tubular supporting members rigidly connected to the said extended frame uprights and provided intermediate their ends with vertical guide slots, the upper ends of which are curved inwardly, shafts mounted through the tubular uprights and having intermediate pins extending into the guide slots thereof, angular arms carried by the upper ends of the said shafts, presser blades adjustably carried by the said arms, a beam connecting the upper ends of the extended frame uprights, an equalizing bar extending horizontally within the frame and having swiveled'connections at opposite ends with the lower ends of the said shafts, a foot lever having a foot piece at its forward end and having a hinged connection within the lower 5 portion of the frame at its rear end, a brake bar nfovable in the frame, members carried by the foot lever andmovable to frictionally engage the said bar and lock the lever in position, a swiveled connection between the foot lever and the equalizing bar intermediate their ends, and a retractile spring con nected at its lower end to a point intermediate the equalizing bar and having connection at its upper end with the beam connecting upper ends of the extended frame uprights.

2. In a press of the character described, the combination of a supporting frame, vertically movable partially rotatable shafts journaled in upright positions at the rear side portions of the'frame, a foot lever hinged within the frame, a horizontal equalizing bar extending within the frame and having an intermediate swiveled connection with the said foot lever and having swiveled connections at its ends with the lower portions of the said shafts, and presser blades carried by the upper ends of the shafts, all for the purpose described.

3. In a press of the character described, the combination of a supporting frame, tublilar guide'members secured in upright positions at the rear side portions of the frame, vertically movable and partially rotatable shafts journaled through the tubular guide members, presser ,eblades carried by the upper ends of the said shaft, and a foot lever fulcrumed in the frame. and having connecting means with which the lower ends of the said shafts are swivelly engaged.

4. In a press of the character described, the combination of a foot lever having a brake bar, friction engaging members carried by the foot lever and adapted to engage the relatively opposite sides of the brake bar at non-alined points, and a pivoted trip mounted on the foot lever and carrying one of said friction engaging members, for the purpose described.

5. In a press of the character described, the combination of a supporting frame,

'posts extending above the frame and being provided with laterally projecting presser blades at their upper ends, connections for moving the posts vertically, and means whereby to cause rotative movement of the posts during their vertical movement, all for the purpose described.

AUGUSTUS RENTZ STEVENS.

Witnesses:

A. SMITH, J. S. LONG. 

